Retired Army officer. One service is not more prestigious than another. Each branch has their own specialties and traditions. The Air Force was derived from the WW II Army Air Corp and as such there is a closer comradely with them. It really depends on what kind of job skills you want to learn . You should keep in mind that the services train you for their own benefit and many jobs are not transferable to the civilian sector. Is the Air Force "safer"? Probably unless you are a pilot. Even if you are not in the combat arms, combat support and combat service support troops can find themselves in harms way. If you have any real questions, I would speak to an Army and Air Force recruiting NCO.